How to Care for Someone With Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by difficulty processing sequences of letters or numbers. There is no medical cure, however, a great number of behavioral strategies are available to help people with dyslexia live and develop normally. Learning more about these strategies and helping the dyslexic person implement them is the best way you can care for someone with dyslexia.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Speech-language pathologist

1. Understand that early detection and treatment of the disorder is instrumental in managing it and ensuring it does not take too steep a toll on the sufferer's quality of life. Genetics are thought to be a factor in the onset of the condition, but children with hyperactivity disorders are also thought to be at increased risk for developing dyslexia.
2. Know the risk factors and warning signs for developing dyslexia. Beyond genetics, children who start speaking late, have difficulty with rhyming, learning the alphabet, writing their own names or have a hard time growing their vocabularies may develop dyslexia. You can counteract this by introducing reading, writing, drawing and the alphabet at a younger-than-normal age.
3. Use computer software or audio books to supplement the introduction of the language arts to a dyslexic child. This can help familiarize her with language without encountering the frustration that can accompany reading.
4. Practice reading with the dyslexic person. Draw reading material from varied media including newspapers, books, magazines and advertisements. Go slowly, word-by-word, and do not scold or become frustrated with him. It is of crucial importance to take a "positive reinforcement" approach to reading.
5. Communicate with the staff at the school your child attends. The dyslexic student's teachers will have access to additional educational resources to help care for and work with your child's dyslexia.
6. Allow your dyslexic child extra time to complete her homework assignments. As someone with dyslexia can easily become frustrated with homework, make sure your child knows that homework is not a race and that dyslexia does not make them less intelligent than her peers. In fact, dyslexic people have the same intelligence range as the normal population.
7. Go over English homework, composition assignments and any other schoolwork involving reading or writing with your child. Be helpful in illustrating and helping correct any mistakes. The best way to care for a dyslexic person is through patience and understanding.
8. Work with a speech-language pathologist to help manage the dyslexic condition using clinical treatments. Tutoring and remedial efforts aimed at correcting dyslexia are also widely available. Learn more at the International Dyslexia Association. See the Resources section below for a link.

Tips & Warnings

• Know that there are special corrective lenses available to people who suffer from dyslexia to aid reading.